Demityzacja XIX wieku we współczesnej powieści niemieckojęzycznej

Abstract

The article presents contemporary German historical novels: Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann, Ein liebender Mann (A Loving Man) by Martin Walser, Imperium by Christian Kracht, Koala by Lukas Bärfuss and Pfaueninsel (Peacock Island) by Thomas Hettche. These novels criticise the popular myths of the 19th century: the myth of science, great authorities, colonial policy, fascination with exoticcism, and romantic love. The new historical novel appears not only to be a critical project concerning past discourses, but also a diagnosis of contemporary historiography. Writing about the 19th century is a dialectic strategy: on the one hand, critically directed against the myths of the century, on the other hand, full of nostalgia, manifested in the return to the classic conventions of historical, travel, and adventure novels, which are employed by contemporary writers.